BILL NUMBER: SCR 65	CHAPTERED  02/18/00

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   24
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   FEBRUARY 18, 2000
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   FEBRUARY 16, 2000
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   FEBRUARY 16, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   FEBRUARY 15, 2000

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Burton
   (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Migden, Papan, and Shelley)


                        FEBRUARY 10, 2000

   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 65--Relative to the San Francisco
Bar Pilots.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 65, Burton.  San Francisco Bar Pilots.
   This measure would honor the former and current members of the San
Francisco Bar Pilots for their important role, throughout California'
s history, in the enhancement of maritime commerce, protection of
cargoes, and safeguarding the fragile environment of the bays and
rivers on which they have served.




   WHEREAS, The San Francisco Bar Pilots, established by Captain
William Richardson, have continuously assisted maritime trade and
protected the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay and adjoining
waters since 1835; and
   WHEREAS, In the California Legislature's very first session at
Pueblo de San Jose, which began on December 15, 1849, and ended on
April 22, 1850, the Assembly and Senate quickly recognized the
importance of pilotage to the state's commerce; and
   WHEREAS, Chapter 1 of the 1849-50 legislative session established
the State Archives; and
   WHEREAS, Chapter 2 of the 1849-50 legislative session established
the State Printer; and
   WHEREAS, Chapter 3 of the 1849-50 legislative session, authorized
the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint
pilots for the ports and harbors of California.  That bill passed on
January 8, 1850, and was signed by California's first Governor, Peter
H. Burnett; and
   WHEREAS, In that same legislative session, Chapter 18 was passed
on February 25, 1850, and was signed by Governor Burnett.  It
established the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Port of San
Francisco; and
   WHEREAS, The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Port of San
Francisco, now known as the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays
of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, is the longest operating
state board or commission in California history; and
   WHEREAS, The Legislature in 1853 at the State Capitol in Benicia,
concerned that maritime safety and commerce was being endangered by
competition among unaffiliated pilots, enacted a bill that required
all bar pilots operating in San Francisco to work cooperatively under
the auspices of the preexisting San Francisco Bar Pilots
organization.  That bill was signed by California's third Governor,
John Bigler; and
   WHEREAS, Many years later, as a result of Chapter 1653 of the
Statutes of 1984, all inland and river pilots working within the Bays
of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and on their tributaries,
came under the jurisdiction of the Board of Pilot Commissioners and
affiliated with the San Francisco Bar Pilots; and
   WHEREAS, The San Francisco Bar Pilots at all times, in all weather
conditions, have been continuously stationed for 150 years near the
"SF" buoy 12 miles west of the Golden Gate; and
   WHEREAS, All vessels of 300 gross tons or more engaged in foreign
trade are required to have a San Francisco Bar Pilot on board to
cross the enormous horseshoe shaped sandbar seaward of San Francisco
Bay, to enter the Golden Gate, and to navigate the waters of San
Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bays.  The San Francisco Bar Pilots
are now responsible for the safe passage of nearly 9,000 vessels each
year that range from 100-foot tugs to 1000-foot supertankers, and
that include container and bulk cargo ships, military vessels, and
cruise ships; and
   WHEREAS, The waters worked by the San Francisco Bar Pilots are
some of our nation's busiest.  Commercial and recreational fishing
boats, commuter ferries, military and Coast Guard vessels, pleasure
craft, and commercial ships and tankers all share the waters.
Through this veritable water-traffic jam, the pilots guide the
biggest ships with the most dangerous cargo; and
   WHEREAS, These waters are affected by thick fog, high winds, and
winter storms and are characterized by shifting currents and tides,
by treacherous shoals, sandbars, and rock formations, and by narrow
channels and rivers; and
   WHEREAS, The San Francisco Bar Pilots serve seven ports including
Benicia, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Sacramento, San Francisco,
and Stockton as well as numerous anchorages and terminals outside of
port jurisdictions; and
   WHEREAS, The waters protected by the San Francisco Bar Pilots are
the largest estuary on the west coast of North and South America;
they include 1,000 miles of shoreline and more than 90 percent of
California's coastal marshland; and
   WHEREAS, In recognition of the rare skills necessary for a person
to safely pilot in these unique waters, the Board of Pilot
Commissioners, in 1986, established a comprehensive training program
that all prospective pilots must complete.  To qualify for the
program, which is a full-time endeavor lasting up to three years, an
applicant must already be an accomplished vessel captain.  He or she
must hold a United States Coast Guard Master's License with radar
endorsement  and have two years' command or piloting experience ; and

   WHEREAS, All active duty pilots must also participate in a
board-sponsored continuing education program; and
   WHEREAS, Due to their training, skill, and dedication, the members
of the San Francisco Bar Pilots have achieved a 99.99% record of
vessel movements with no pilot error; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, meeting in the
historic State Capitol in Benicia, the Assembly thereof concurring,
That it is with great pride that the Legislature of the State of
California honors both the former and current members of the San
Francisco Bar Pilots for their important role, throughout California'
s history, in the enhancement of maritime commerce, protection of
cargoes, and safeguarding the fragile environment of the bays and
rivers on which they have served; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
